Alabama’s roadsides are dotted with historical markers depicting pivotal moments since its founding as a territory and a state. Did you know there are also markers that describe Alabama legends and lore, including ghost stories and the supernatural and the stories behind unusual town names?

The 12 folk markers in Alabama were funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and approved and placed by the Alabama Folklife Association. The Pomeroy Foundation has two very different missions: “to support the celebration and preservation of community history and to work to improve the likelihood of finding matched donors or other lifesaving treatments for blood cancer patients “. Bill Pomeroy, who started the foundation, says in a YouTube video that he funds folk markers because he has wonderful childhood memories of stopping to read roadside markers with this father and that he hopes to preserve the folklore.

So far, the marker program has funded 1,600 markers in 44 states. Communities wishing to apply for funding for new markers this year must apply by May 2, 2022. Visit the website to learn how to apply.

Let’s take a look at the markers in Alabama:

Grancer’s Ghost

County Road 484, Kingston, AL

This legend is about a man named Grancer Harrison, aka Grancer the Dancer, a man who loves to dance. The Pomeroy Foundation writes: “At his death, Grancer’s will directed that he be dressed in his dancing shoes and laid to rest on a featherbed in a large brick tomb within earshot of his dancing hall, where he could enjoy the joy even though he could no longer participate.

The marker, placed in 2021, indicates:

Grancer’s Ghost: The sounds of a fiddle and clapping can be heard near the grave of Grancer Harrison, who was buried in his dancing shoes in 1860.

Read more: These 2 Alabamians are buried in their quilts

Renfroe’s Ghost

801 Old Sides Cemetery Road, Emelle, AL

Steve Renfroe was elected Sheriff of Sumter County in 1878, but then turned to a life of crime. He became known as the “outlaw sheriff of Alabama”. In her 1991 book, “Alabama: One Big Front Porch”, Katherine Tucker Windham wrote: “They tell how Steve would ride down the street on his white horse not so handsome and tall that everyone stopped to look at him. galloping by. Renfroe sat tall and straight in his saddle, and the very first time he rode down the street in Livingston, people knew there was something special about him….

The bollard, placed in 2021, is inscribed:

Renfroe’s Ghost: On July 13, the Sucarnochee rolls when the ghost of Sheriff Renfroe, astride his white horse, Death, runs through the tree where he was lynched in 1886.

The Borghinis

6233 County Road 214, Trinity, AL

According to the Foundation’s website, Sister Mary and Dora Borghini became legends after the disappearance of their brother and the death of their father: “They were said to work their own land, steal their own cattle and ride horses better than any man. They wore pants, holdall guns, and smoked corncob pipes. To make ends meet, they did a bit of moonshine, but with an Italian twist. Instead of whiskey, the sisters specialized in blackberry and grape wine, trampling the fruit barefoot, as was done in the old country.

The bollard, placed in 2021, is inscribed:

The Borghinis: Mary and Dora, Tough Pistol-Toting Sisters Born in the 1850s, sold homemade wine and worked to save their family farm.

Henry Wells

56 Tuscaloosa St., Carrollton, AL

The Pickens County Courthouse in downtown Carrollton is known for the legend of “The Face in the Courthouse Window.”

The bollard, placed in 2020, is inscribed:

Henry Wells: As the freedman watched as a mob gathered against him for allegedly burning down the old courthouse, lightning etched his “face in the window.”

Boyington Oak

107 S. Bayou St., Mobile, AL

Outside the walls of the historic Church Street Cemetery is a large oak tree which is believed to prove a legend nearly 200 years old.

The bollard, placed in 2020, is inscribed:

The Boyington Oak: In 1835, Charles Boyington was wrongfully hanged for the murder of a friend. Predicted that an oak tree would grow from his heart to prove his innocence.

Read more: 9 of Alabama’s Spookiest Cemeteries

nolan daisy

818 Sycamore Street NW, Decatur, AL

The Pomeroy Foundation writes that “Daisy Nolan was an African-American herbalist, healer, and charm-maker who lived in Decatur, in the Old Town district of Alabama. Born to once-enslaved parents, she may have learned from her mother her knowledge of herbs, remedies, charms, spells and spells…”

The bollard, placed in 2021, is inscribed:

Margaret Nolan: Herbalist, healer, and charm-maker of the Old Town, she would do no harm. Nolan was buried in 1960 with her collection of dolls.

Thing

7144 Alabama Highway 101, Town Creek, AL

A marker along Alabama 101 provides the basis for the original name of the town of Hatton in Lawrence County.

The marker, placed in 2020, indicates:

Thing: A saloon and its whiskey – “Tricky Trickum Stuff” – Name of the region supposedly inspired in the 1850s. After 1882 Adopted Most Dignified Hatton.

Old Mill Witch

83 C Street SW, Jacksonville, AL

A marker in Jacksonville tells the legend of a local witch. The bollard, placed in 2020, is inscribed:

Old Mill Witch: The ghost of the amber-eyed, silver-haired healer who protected the carpenters with cures and charms still walks the streets of the village.

Lick the pan

15 Choccolocco Street, Oxford, AL

A marker in Oxford says the town was originally known as “Lick Skillet”. The bollard, placed in 2021, is inscribed:

Lick the pan: Oxford’s old name recalls the rarity on the frontier, when a traveler was fed but had to “lick the pan”.

Read more: 13 Most Unusual Place Names in Alabama

Kingdom of Hal

11470 Carlton Road, Jackson, AL

Not far from the convergence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers is a body of water known as Hal’s Lake. The Pomeroy Foundation writes: “The lake is named after a slave who escaped and, according to legend, discovered the secluded body of water in the early 1800s where he created his own ‘kingdom’ consisting of escapees, formerly slaves.”

The terminal, placed in 2019, is inscribed:

Kingdom of Hal: Famous freedom fighter and slave who built a hideout for other escapees at the nearby lake. Site found in 1827 and destroyed.

Railroad Bill

105 N. Pensacola Avenue, Atmore, AL

Railroad Bill, real name Morris Slater, was known for his train robberies in the late 1800s. He was killed in 1896.

The bollard, placed in 2021, is inscribed:

Railway Bill: Immortalized in folk songs, Outlaw Morris Slater stole L&N trains, gave to the poor, long evaded capture. Killed near here in 1896.

legendary oaks

Franklin Street, Spanish Fort, AL

The site of Blakely, one of the first towns in this area, is preserved as Blakeley State Park. It was created by Josiah Blakely before 1817, when the area was still part of Mississippi Territory.

The foundations of his first courthouse are preserved there, along with two trees, known as the “hanging tree” and the “jury oak”.

The bollard, erected in 2019, is inscribed:

Legendary Oaks: Courts convened under “Oak Jury” Early 1800s. Judge presided while seated on a tree branch. Public executions held near “Hanging Tree”.